The Bigger Picture
by MyxShipperxHeart
Summary: "I feel like waving a sign in his face wouldn't even do it. It's like the frame is too small for him to ever get the picture..."


Disclaimer: I do **not **own Pokemon.

* * *

Ash, Misty and Brock trudged up a hill ahead that lead to Viridian, with Pikachu in tow. The day today was perfect for traveling, and Ash wanted to get started on their trip as quickly as possible. So much so, that he held the maps contents himself.

Though much to Misty's dismay.

"This is your fault, Ash!" Misty scolded. "I can't believe I let you get away with ever leading us in the first place."  
Pikachu lowered its ears tiredly at the argument it knew was about to take place.

"Like you could have done any better. So what! We're already here anyway, what's yelling at me going to do about it?!"  
A sigh could be heard behind them as Brock pinched the bridge of his nose in weariness. Neither though bothered to look.

"Guys." Brock attempted to speak.

"...we are NOT here, and since when do you decide who guides us with this thing? You shouldn't even have had that to begin with!"  
"Its a MAP Misty, NOT a compus- its harder to keep track of!"

"Guys?"

"Exactly my point! That should have been in the hands of someone with the skill who knows what they're doing!"

"GUYS!" Brock stepped forward, having quite a bit of this.  
"Enough already. We could have been done by now. Lets please just keep moving, while its still light out."  
"Thats what I've been trying to tell her-" Ash started, but was quickly silenced with a hard glare from both Brock and Misty. The tallest member of the trio only shook his head in wonderment at the two teenagers. Even Pikachu nodded a knowing look.

"Pika Pi, Pi Pikachu." It huffed under its breath.

The sun was beginning to set as the three travelers walked for a solid hour. "Brock?" Misty called. "How about we stop and camp for the night? Its too late to really do anything else." She asked tiredly.  
"Gee Misty, couldn't come up with asking that an hour ago when we actually WERE stopped?" snapped Ash.  
"Excuse me?" She rounded on him. "I'm not the only one walking here! I didn't exactly hear YOU coming up with anything!"

Brock looked down and closed his eyes, beginning to rub his temples.

"I was too busy trying not to yell at you already!"  
"That's the lamest comeback I've ever heard!"

"Alright!" Brock threw up his hands between the two and stepped forward.  
"I don't know what's been going on, but lately you both have been down eachother's throats alot more than usual. I think we're all just a little tired here and need a break. So lets just set up our sleeping bags and call it a night, okay?" He reasoned, rolling up his sleeves.  
Pikachu began pushing against his trainor's legs, prompting him to do as told. Ash avoided Misty's eyes as she and him both pulled out their sleeping bags without a word.

'_They need to give out medals for this kind of patience_.' Brock thought as he shook his head, unravelling his own place to sleep.  
Misty purposely set up her area clear across from Ash and turned her back to him.

Ash scowled.

"Goodnight Brock." He said spoke specifically.  
"Goodnight, Ash." he replied wearily. "And goodnight, Misty." Brock added.  
"Goodnight to you, Brock." She spoke.

She was still fuming. Part of her felt bad for having Brock in the middle of this. But oohh, that Ash! Just where does he get off arguing with her in a matter where she was clearly correct? It made no sense. What was she thinking, letting him lead? They'd be better off with getting directions from a stray Caterpie.

Caterpie.

She shivered. This brought back a dreadful memory, ironically that also involved Ash.  
_Typical_, she scoffed inwardly.  
But she rolled over and eventually let the peaceful sounds of nightlife lull her to sleep.

Ash glanced at her from across Brock's sleeping form before turning over himself. He too, had still been angry. Like it was really his fault. Anyone could read a map. Misty just wanted something to yell about. Right or wrong, she still would have found something wrong in the way he did it. Like always.

Ash rolled his eyes and scrunched up his nose.

Why was he friends with her anyway? Oh, right. Her bike.  
He supposed the day that flying Squirtle would come first before Misty would stop holding that over his head. She really knew how to push his buttons.  
About a dozen more of these thoughts flew through his head before he finally drifted off to sleep.

But a sudden blast could be heard from somewhere in the distance, causing all three of them sit bolt upright in their makeshift beds.

"What on earth..?" Brock fumbled around to check his watch, and was equally surprised as both Ash and Misty at how late this was happening. All three friends scrambled to gather their belongings before rushing to find whatever had caused such a late disturbance.

Ash however, stopped halfway down a dirt trail, almost causing Misty to run into him. "Ash! What is your pr-"  
"Shh!"

A few moments of silence passed before she heard it too. Brock was the third to catch on.  
"...to protect the world from devastation..." came the faint voice of Team Rocket member, Jessie.  
"Team Rocket," growled Ash. "Come on! Someone may be in trouble!"  
"Couldn't they have waited till at least a decent hour?" Misty grumbled.  
Ash began to skid his way down the path in such a way that he was astonished he didn't fall. Though finally reaching the bottom, they sped off toward the infamous trio.

"Ah! What do we have here? Pikachu number two?" James asked, spying the newcomers.  
"I was only planning on one, but two will be twice as fun!" Exclaimed Meowth gleefully.  
"It seems we've stumbled into an electric addition," Jessie eyed Pikachu, who stood defiantly on Ash's shoulder while his cheeks buzzed in irritation.  
"What are you three up to this time?!" shouted Ash.

But a small girl emerged from the scene, clutching a tiny Pichu in her arms.  
"They're trying to steal my Pokemon! Please help me!" she cried.

"I think Arbok can help take care of this," Jessie sneered as the little Pichu whimpered and lowered its ears.

"Pika, Pika!" Pikachu growled.  
"No one is taking anything!" Brock interjected as both Ash and Misty leapt into action and unclipped a pokeball, stepping forward with their chosen Pokemon.  
"Pidgeotto, whirlwind attack!"  
"Staryu, hydro pump!"

No sooner had Arbok began to slither toward Jessie for his command, when he was successfully blasted on cue with the combination of both wind and water. This threw James into action as well once he released Wheezing into the scene.  
"Wheezing, smog!"

The purple cloud Pokemon huffed and swayed from side to side as it started to muster up its attack, when the after effects of Pidgeotto's whirlwind began taking place. The smoke seeping out of Wheezing began to swirl around Team Rocket instead of its intended target.  
James frantically waved his arms to clear the now purpled air, but to no avail. Jessie coughed and could no longer shout instructions. And Meowth stumbled backwards, obviously having not expected such a quick turn of events, whilst the girl winced and draped am arm over her face from the dirt that lingered in the air during the battle. Coughing, Brock immediately ushered her away from the floating dust particles.

"Pikachu, help out Pidgeotto and finish them off!" The tiny yellow Pokemon leapt off Ash's shoulder and emitted a powerful thundershock that greatly illuminated the area, knocking the breath out of all three villains and their Pokemon. Now the combination of a wind, thunder and water attack had injured both Arbok and Wheezing far too greatly for a second strike, and sent them hurtling toward the sky.

"We're blasting off again...!"

Misty watched on with a satisfied smirk as they retrieved their Pokemon.  
The little girl set her Pichu down with a wide smile. "Thank you!"  
"Oh well, thats o-!" Misty started to reply, but was stopped as the smaller female raced past her and drastically threw herself into Ash's arms. "You saved me, you actually saved me!"

Misty gritted her teeth. "...Kay..." her cheeks instantly flushed with anger. Brock stood off to the sides, chuckling. He knew better than to be in close proximity when Misty's temper started to flare. She clipped the Pokemon back to her belt, eyeing the scene before her with a growing distaste.

"Oh, uh," Ash stuttered, awkwardly patting the girl's head. "Well, we're not exactly strangers to them."  
"You mean, they've tried to steal your Pokemon too?" Her eyes went wide with wonder as Ash nodded.

"Just Pikachu here."

Pikachu, who had now made friends with the Pokemon they saved, twitched its ear in response. "Chu!"

The girl took a moment to survey this, before burying her head in Ash's chest. "Oh wow," She exclaimed before tightening her already-iron grip. "I'm sorry to hear that. But thank you for what you did!"

Misty's eyebrow began to twitch.

"Its uh.. no problem.. really.." Ash chuckled nervously. He really wasn't used to this kind of gratitude. Clearing his throat, he asked, "What's your name anyway?"

"Alice," she peeked her head at him, finally loosening her grip a bit. "Oh, well nice to meet you, Alice. I'm Ash. And these are my friends Misty and Brock." He answered, motioning over to them.  
Brock waved politely. "Hi there Alice."  
Misty barely offered a smile, waves of anger still coursing through her.

"What were you doing out so late, Alice?" Brock questioned, hoping to alleviate some of the tension.  
"Well, I was out taking my Pichu for a walk but we got lost."

The little Pichu twitched its ears at its name being said as Pikachu ran in circles around it.

Misty snorted. "Lost, huh? Can't imagine what that must feel like." She smirked. Ash shot her a glare.

Alice furrowed her eyebrows in slight confusion.  
"But I'm glad we did. Which reminds me! Ash I want to thank you for you did.. let me show you around my town. Are you free tomorrow night?" Alice questioned eagerly.  
Ash's eyes widened, clearly having not expected this. "Uhh...w-well.."

That did it. Steam was practically coming out of Misty's ears as she stomped her way over to them.

"NO! He is NOT! We have somewhere to be by then!" She spat.

Alice looked as if she had been slapped in the face. Which is the road she would soon be heading down if she kept this up.  
"Who are you, his girlfriend or something?"

Ash was caught so off guard that he nearly fell over laughing. "G-girlfriend? Misty?!"  
But Brock caught the fleeting look of hurt that crossed Misty's face, who only clenched her fists in response with reddened cheeks.  
"Like I'd ever be seen with a little kid like you anyway!"

That shut him up.  
"Well she doesn't seem to mind that!" Ash sputtered.

"I really d-" Alice tried to agree, but was cut off.

"Maybe you're the one who doesn't mind that!"

Both electric Pokemon stopped their playing, now darting their eyes back and forth between their trainers.

"You're the one who seems to mind the most!" Ash fumed.

"Fine then! Go! Do you what you want, see if I care!" Misty folded her arms.

"Fine! Maybe I will!"

"Fine!"

"Fine! Pikachu, let's go!" Ash growled. And with his final word, he stomped off with Alice in tow.  
"Chuuu." Pikachu lowered its ears in misery, sadly glancing at Misty before following its master.

Misty looked near the verge of tears as she marched off in the other direction. Brock rubbed his forehead and sighed before following after her. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

'_Why would she want to be seen with him anyway? He was a complete airhead with no sense of direction!_' Misty furiously thought as she and Brock headed back to their campsite.  
And Brock, who kept a brotherly eye on her wondered just how to resolve this. He learned over the years to never involve himself during an argument with these two, as it would likely blow up in his face. But things had never gotten this out of hand before. Neither one of them had been split up during the night, and with things ending the way they did, Brock wasn't sure if any separation between the three of them after an encounter with Team Rocket was the safest idea.

But just as he was about to voice his thoughts...

"It's not like I even care, you know? Just where does he get off thinking I need him anyway?!" Misty griped out of nowhere, abruptly cutting off Brock's intention to speak. He shook his head as he held back a few tree branches for them to pass through as they arrived back to their campsite.

Misty's mood of course hadn't cleared in the slightest as she stormed her way over to her sleeping bag, tiny bits of dirt forming dust clouds in her wake of anger.  
Though as Brock threw back the confines of his sleeping bag to slip back into, he caught Misty's eyes gaze sadly upon Ash's empty sleeping bag.

* * *

Pikachu yawned while perched upon Ash's shoulder. The only sounds filling the air had been the crunching of leaves and broken branches that he and Alice had been stepping over, going to God knows where for God knows how long. They had covered a good measure of ground since Ash's feud with Misty. He kept his head down most of the way, too busy lost in his thoughts to really catch anything that was going on outside of his mind.  
He figured he should find his way back. But did he really want to? Well.. yes. Of course he did. But Ash was angry at himself for wanting to. He still wanted to be angry at Misty, not himself. But at the same time.. he didn't want to be in the middle of nowhere. And he didn't prefer knowing that part of it was his fault.

"...I'd only ever read about something like that happening in fairytales, I never thought it would actually happen to me. What are the odds I'd bump into somebody right as someone tried to attack my Pokemon?" Alice pressed on eagerly.

She really wanted to discuss getting to know him, preferably during that date she had set in mind. But Ash's body language told her to leave that matter alone, and knew he was probably only half listening, if at all. Maybe she'd been wrong about finding her prince charming like she'd read in the storybooks... but Alice couldn't miss Ash's apparent unhappiness. She felt a tiny bit of sadness as she clutched her Pichu to her chest.

"Ash?"

"...Hm?" He lifted his head up at his name. Alice glanced at him from the corner of her eye, just barely enough to where he caught it.

"It's her, isn't it? That's why you've been so quiet. You're still upset."

Ash hesitated before answering. With an inward sigh of defeat, he nodded. "Sort of."  
She stopped, and so did he.

"Then go back. I know it's none of my business, and that you only met me a few hours ago, but.. you should go back and make things right."

"But it wasn't even my fault. She just came at me! It's always like this!" Ash exclaimed.

"I shouldn't have gotten in the middle of you two though," Alice shook her head. "Now that I think about it.. that girl has every right to be mad at me. I kind of only saw you back there. And I know that as a girl myself, she wouldn't have gotten that upset unless she really cared about you. As more than a friend, anyway. Some girls express their emotions more subtlety than others. I'm more of the hopeless romantic type myself," she reflected thoughtfully.

Though Ash was stuck on on Alice referring to Misty as '_that girl_.'  
And how she was able to take so much insight on two people she barely knew had astonished him past the point of speaking. Alice really knew more than she led on.

* * *

Brock stole a glance at his trainer friend from the corner of his eye.  
"Is there something on your mind, Misty?" Though he knew full well the answer before he had even asked the question.  
Of course there was.

But Misty being Misty, didn't respond.

Brock raised an eyebrow. "You know," he pressed on. "I'm not just the guy who cooks that tags along. You can talk to me if you ever need to."  
Misty shifted from one foot to the other. It was nice of Brock to offer his advice like this, but could she really trust his relationship insight after the many times he's been turned down himself?  
She sighed softly. Of course she didn't voice this aloud for fear of hurting his feelings. Instead, Misty simply smiled.  
"Well.."

And so Misty launched into a series of explanations, describing everything from the start. Why Ash was the only one who could ever truly bring out the insurmountable rage in her, and compassion at the same time. The way that it takes an immense amount of emotion to express either one. How he frustrates her to no end, and that it's been this way since the day they met.

"He'll never get it. I always thought people grew wiser as they get older.. the only thing of Ash's that grows is the empty space in his head." She grumbled. "I feel like waving a sign in his face wouldn't even do it. It's like the frame is too small for him to ever get the picture..."

Misty hesitantly lifted her gaze to see Brock's expression, but was shocked when he didn't seem the least bit surprised at her confession. Instead, he simply laughed, causing Misty's temper to rapidly ignite.  
How could he laugh at something so personal? It took her _years_ to admit her feelings to herself, much less someone else!

Catching Misty's look of extreme outrage, Brock straightened himself up and stopped her just in time from smacking him upside the head for that rare moment of insensitivity.

"I'm sorry Misty, but anyone with eyes could see that you two have had a thing going for eachother since... well, since at least I've joined you both." he chuckled.

"I don't care! You saw how serious I was about telling you this, how hard it was for me to come out and say ... wait a minute, what did you say?" Misty said, surprise beginning to take place.

"Say what?"

"What you just said, Brock.." Sheesh. The breeder could honestly sometimes match Ash's density.

"About the two of us having something for eachother. Did he say something to you?" Misty felt like a child asking that, since she couldn't quite imagine boys really conversing matters of the heart with their male friends.

"Not exactly. But I've been around long enough to figure you both out. It doesn't take a genius to notice it." He said.

"Ash then should have figured this out ages ago.."

Brock let out a bark of laughter before shaking his head. "He doesn't need to say it. Just like you didn't need to. Its obvious in other ways."

Misty snorted. "And what ways would those be?"

Brock shifted himself into a sitting position, leaning his elbows on his knee's as he faced her. "Well.. " he started off slowly, his face forming a pensieve expression as he dug around in his memory. "What about that time in Orange Islands, where he battled that guy Danny?"

Misty blinked. "But you weren't.." she paused. "He told you about that?"

Brock only grinned. "The fact that you even know what I'm talking about just proves my point."

Misty pursed her lips. "That doesn't necessarily mean anything. He was just being difficult cause no one was paying attention to him." she muttered.  
Though her friend bit his tongue at her latest statement, about to counter that they both can be relentlessly difficult.  
Clearing his throat however, he moved on.

"Alright, what about when you both met someone named Rudy?"

Misty eyes widened before she shifted her gaze elsewhere. "Oh, well.. that was.." she began picking at the grass that was scattered around her sleeping bag. "I.. I didn't really have a choice there. Besides he didn't do anything, I was the one who was put on the spot to make a decision!" Misty exclaimed.

"But he told me. And he looked angry about it when he did." Brock replied.

Misty opened and closed her mouth at a loss for words, before finally deciding to take this on silence. She looked up at the moon, damning all the reasons that seemed to conflict with her emotions. Did she dare to believe that Ash was interested in something else besides all things Pokemon?

"Go find him." Brock interjected quietly, shaking Misty from her thoughts. "At least find him so he's back here. You know how bad he is with directions anyway." he finished, offering her a half smile.

Misty looked down and heaved in a sigh.

'_Well, he's right about that at least_,' she mused. Misty squinted her eyes in thought at the breeder, before balancing her hands on her knees a moment later and standing up. "I'll be right back."

Brock smiled to himself, noting the sudden confidence in her shining through. Classic Misty. It was never hard to miss. Though he had complete faith in Misty and her instincts that she'd be back with Ash in one piece, but grabbed his watch and kept track of time just in case.

* * *

"Anyway though, moving on..." Alice continued.

"If you think about it.. she only really said anything as I was about to ask you out. If she's really not your girlfriend, then I think she should be. You two obviously care about eachother. I mean to fight so passionately like that and not have something laced underneath would be almost impossible."  
She shrugged, continuing on as Ash only stared at her with a dumbfounded expression.

"Or at the very least, salvage your friendship." She finished with a small, yet confidant grin.

Ash was speechless. Maybe he had the complete wrong impression of this girl. Two hours ago she'd been some giddy stranger, whereas now.. someone who was deeper than the forest that they've become hopelessly submerged into not long ago.

"It's just... we fight like this all the time. She's just.. so difficult." Ash trailed off lamely, raising a tiresome hand through his hair while casting his gaze to the side.

"Think about it though, would anything worth fighting for be easy? That's what makes it a fight, isn't it? You wouldn't still be around her if it wasn't worth the trouble." countered Alice.

Ash inhaled greatly. Alice's words had a chance to sink in now that he'd settled down. And everything she was saying was making too much sense. He couldn't even have the pleasure of being angry with Misty anymore. For a long moment he stared at Alice, wondering how she was even able to pick any of this up. Then again, like she said.. she _is_ a girl. And Ash didn't need convincing that they were certainly better at reading eachother than his gender was. He had Brock to prove that...

Lowering his head, he drew another long breath. She was right. Ash wasn't entirely sure how, but his decision was made. He lifted his head and glanced once at a now sleeping Pikachu, then to Alice with a somewhat sheepish grin. "Can you find your way home from here at least?"

She grinned. "I can. Just head back the same way we came and you'll be fine."

Ash waved. "Alright then. Thank you, Alice. It was nice meeting you.. and you'll find the right guy for you someday. I know it." he finished with a reassuring smile. Alice stood on her tiptoes to kiss Ash on the cheek. "Thank YOU. Now go. And good luck."

Ash nodded while he spun on his heel, knowing he would absolutely need it.

* * *

Misty spent half the time she'd been searching for Ash, mentally cursing him in her mind. How far did that clueless numbskull manage to get himself in here? She pursed her lips in thought as she thrust aside overgrown bushes. It had been a solid ten minutes later that Misty found herself walking into... well, whatever she was walking into.

She was beginning to think this was hopeless... right until her sneaker found its way into a couple knotted branches that were growing underground. Misty flailed for maybe a second, before she felt a hand grasp her arm right before she hit the floor.

A gloved hand.  
But she didn't need to look up to know who it had been that caught her. The worn down white shoes with the blue coverings on the side, that were now partially tearing, was enough to give him away.

"Need a hand?" Ash grinned.  
"There you are," she replied, untangling her ankle from the branches below.

Ash only tilted his head in response. Misty cleared her throat as she straightened herself up. "I mean, thanks," she muttered, her eyes travelling to anywhere but him.

But she soon inched her eyebrows together. "Where's Alice?"

Ash jerked his head back in response. "On her way home. We finally reached a path she recognized and said she'd be able to find her way back."  
Misty peered over his shoulder as if to confirm this. "Ah, I see."  
"Yeah. Uh.." he rubbed his fingers across his chin. "So.."

Misty watched in utter amusement as Ash struggled for words to say. He looked like he was learning to speak for the first time.  
"So..." She mimicked, eyes drifting to the side. Ash dropped his hands to his sides, awkwardly swinging his arms back and forth.  
Then she wondered what to do with her own hands, before noticing that she'd been twisting them since she stood up.

"I'm uh... sorryforearlieranduh.." Ash managed to speak, then gaped at his own stupidity. Misty squinted at this and inclined her head forward ever so slightly. "What?"

But he just mentally smacked himself for sounding so idiotic.  
Though Misty eventually caught on to what exactly he was trying to say. And no wonder, since this is about the very first time this ever happened. So she took a breath and stepped forward.

"Ash?" she bit her lip. He looked up with the same pained expression that she'd been wearing. "Me too." she finished.

Ash's shoulders seemed to have slumped down in relief at the way her voice finalized everything, the knot in his stomach smoothing over and caused a lazy smile to spread across his face.  
"Let's just... head back and get some sleep. Sound good?"

Misty grinned. "Sounds great."

* * *

I didn't really know where I was going with this. Everything I put in here kind of just fell into place as I began writing, and I went with it. Nothing was really in mind, just pieces I threw in and put together as it went on. I also intended for them to kiss at the end, but I figured that may have been rushing it a little. x_x I may continue this chapter, not sure. Hopefully it wasn't rubbish though and that you all enjoyed. n_n and reviews are welcome!


End file.
